The CRTC has been busy backstepping lately – on the heels of the much publicized usage-based billing fiasco, the organization recently put on hold another ruling – allowing radio station CKLN 88.1 FM to stay on the air for now. CKLN is unaffiliated with Ryerson University, but broadcasts from the campus and is funded by the Ryerson Student Union. Even so, unless the radio station can stop shooting itself in the footrepeatedly, look for CKLN to disappear from the air soon.
One station that won’t be disappearing anytime soon is CBC’s Radio-Canada. Still, that didn’t stop Immigration Minister Jason Kenney from calling them liars in defense of Minister of International Cooperation Bev Oda this week. Kenney later replied that he was being sarcastic.
In other news, Toronto’s sports radio scene is about to double in size. TSN finally announced that its long-rumoured sports radio channel will debut on April 13, joining the FAN 590 as the only two players in Canada’s largest market. This is CTVGlobemedia’s second attempt at sports radio in Toronto: the ill-fated The TEAM 1050 launched in 2001 and left the next year. This time, the network is hoping that TSN’s strong name recognition, along with a healthy dose of support from minority owner ESPN, will help it avoid the same fate. If TSN Radio is successful, look for the format to spread nationally.
Finally, on a lighter note, NPR’s This American Life claims that they have found the most guarded secret in soft drink history – the recipe for Coke. Still, Coca-Cola doesn’t need to worry too much – as the podcast explains, the recipe requires coca leaves, and Coke has a special deal with the DEA for importing them.
About the author
Brian Liu was the Production Editor for the Summer 2011 issue of the Ryerson Review of Journalism.